


The Perfect Gift

by OtterlyDeerlightful



Series: Lifemates AU [11]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Anniversary, Fluff, M/M, domestic banter, everybody loves presents, together again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 18:46:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10950528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtterlyDeerlightful/pseuds/OtterlyDeerlightful
Summary: Sportacus is coming home for their wedding anniversary and Robbie worries that his present might not be good enough for the man he loves. What else could be the perfect gift...?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was originally trying to write a specific headcanon, but Robbie decided to hijack the entire thing and it spun off in an [almost] entirely different direction. Maybe I should let him do that more often. I actually wrote the original draft of this longhand at work over two incredibly slow days...yes, model employee am I.

It was long ago that he had decided that there was just no way to out-gift the bouncing blue elf. Robbie had discovered this early on their in relationship when Sportacus had surprised him with a gorgeously orange set of noise-cancelling headphones as a gift for his first birthday after they had started dating. Robbie had been so overwhelmed with happiness after having opened the present that he had actually cried. He used those headphones almost daily, even all these years later, though he suspected that the hero had secretly replaced them on him once or twice during that time. Sportacus had unintentionally set the bar incredibly high from the start, but Robbie had been determined ever since to find the perfect gift for his husband that might elicit a similar reaction of pure elation upon presentation.

He had tried year after year to find Sportacus the perfect gift—for anniversaries, Christmas, Valentine’s, birthdays, date nights, and others—but Robbie just continued to struggle to come up with something that could rival the splendor of Sportacus’ loving offerings; he simply couldn’t compete. It certainly didn’t help that Robbie could make a crumpled card out of crayons and construction paper and have the elf love it beyond measure. Robbie wanted to be able to downright _dazzle_ his man with something that went above and beyond. Sportacus deserved it, after all.

Robbie knew he had chosen a good gift for his husband this year, but he couldn’t help but remind himself how temporary it was in nature. At least Sportacus would love the thing while it lasted. When he had spotted the ad for the new franchise opening in the newspaper he had known it would be perfect for the flippy-floppy apple addict, and a wonderful way to welcome Sportacus home. The thing—what was it called again?—was an Edible something-or-other made out of various sliced and shaped sportscandies that were arranged to look like a bouquet of flowers. Mutant flowers, in Robbie’s opinion, but even he couldn’t deny that the creations were rather pretty. It killed him that he couldn’t order one with any chocolate added to the mix, but at least he knew the establishment had enough integrity to offer something decent as an option. Nevertheless, the ‘flowers’ were nice and, more importantly, the idea just _screamed_ Sportacus from miles away.

“And your change, Sir,” the woman behind the counter chimed as she dropped a few coins into Robbie’s outstretched hand. “Have a good day!”

“Yeah, you, too,” he muttered automatically as he gingerly gathered up his purchase, figuring out how to best carry the delicate fruits in their designer-looking basket for the journey home. “Thanks.”

Walking out the door and back into the street, Robbie realized he was starting to feel nervous. He wasn’t exactly sure why; if anything, he should be feeling excited. Giddy, even. But nervous? The lanky man sighed and kicked a pebble from his path as he continued down the walkway, still shifting his precious package from one arm to the other. He had left to pick up his order a bit early, he knew, and now he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. In his last letter Sportacus had instructed him not to come home today until after lunch time so he could clean the lair for him. Sportacus was a terrible liar. At the time—and this morning, if he were to be perfectly honest—Robbie had resented the idea of his having to wake up and be _outside_ at such an ungodly hour. But, Sportacus’ letter had promised that the wait would be worth it, so here he was. Robbie had tried to nap out in the park earlier that morning, found it impossible, and had proceeded to wander aimlessly through town and make a couple of impulse purchases from the local bakery in place of an actual breakfast. Once the sun had started climbing higher in the sky, though, he had decided to go pick up the beautiful sportscandy abomination ahead of schedule for something to do. So, now what? Was it too early to go home yet? Was Sportacus even _back_ yet? The anticipation was killing him.

But the clock and the uncertainty of Sportacus’ schedule wasn’t all that was bothering him. It was his present itself. Yes, it was perfect for his crazy hoppy hubby, but it was far from being _the perfect anniversary present_ for the man. Sportacus was obviously preparing _something_ for him at home, possibly at that very moment, and the feeling that Robbie should have tried harder, somehow gone _bigger_ for his own gift nagged at him more and more with each step. He didn’t want to give Sportacus _enough_ …he wanted to give him everything. Sportacus did so much for him, had done so much for this town. Some fruit, even cut into fanciful shapes, simply wasn’t enough to repay the man for all the love and care he had shown Robbie over the years. He had to come up with another idea, a better idea. And he had to do it fast.

“Think, Robbie,” he grumbled to himself as he passed by the sports field where a group of small children were playing. “You really have to _wow_ him. This is your year! It has to be something he’ll love more than anything else, something no one else can give him. Your man deserves the best and _you’re_ gonna give it to him!” Robbie groaned and his shoulders slumped. “Ugh, but _what_ are you gonna get him?” he whined to the air as his train of thought completed its circle and pulled back into the station. “Argh, this is hopeless!”

“Look out!” cried a small voice off to his right.

Robbie let out a shriek when he instinctively turned toward the noise and came face-to-face with a soccer ball hurdling straight for his head. His free arm flew up in an attempt to shield himself and his delicate cargo…but the impact never came. Robbie blinked, then blinked again before daring to peek over his own limb to see what had happened. He ears heard the children’s cheers before his eyes registered the scene. Someone, dressed all in pink, had evidently caught the hostile projectile and was in the process of drop-kicking it back to its owners, sending the kids laughing and scrambling to retrieve their ball and continue their game. The man let himself release the breath he was holding and lowered his arm as the young lady spun around to show him the happy grin on her face.

“Hi, Robbie!”

“Hello, Pinky,” he greeted as he tried to brush off his vest in an attempt to look a little more presentable after his embarrassing cries. “Uh…thanks,” he added after a second of hesitation.

Stephanie, he realized, had grown quite a bit from the last time he had seen her. She had clearly had another—final?—growth spurt and looked like she might now be only a few inches shorter than Sportacus. Whenhad that happened?  As always, she was wrapped in a head-to-toe cocoon of her favorite color; the only reprieve from the pink onslaught were small accents of white, which Robbie was convinced were only there to make the rest of her look all the _more_ pink.

While she looked like she always had, save for being a bit older now, it was hard for Robbie not to notice that her pink ensemble was more than merely an ordinary outfit of the day. Her boots, leggings, matching skirt, vest, and underlying shirt were very reminiscent of a uniform he knew all too well. It was her belt, though, that drew Robbie’s attention more than anything else. Sitting seemingly askew on her left hip was what he could only assume was a belt buckle. Emblazoned on it was a very distinct engraving of the number eleven. Robbie couldn’t help but give a proud smile at the sight. It felt like only yesterday she had been a thorn-in-his-side little girl, and now she was officially a hero-in-training.

“How’ve you been?” Stephanie asked happily. “It’s good to see you again! Sorry about the kids.”

Robbie gave a noncommittal shrug. “Same as always.  Been tired, town’s too loud. A lot less flipping around the place, though.” He bit his lip and his eyes darted around the sports park over her shoulder. “When did you get back, anyway? I guess, uh. That is, does this mean Sportaflop is around here somewhere, then?”

The pink hero-in-training rolled her eyes at the persistent nickname for her mentor before she answered. “He should be home by now. He seemed like he was in a big hurry to get to something important he needed to do,” she said with a knowing smile.

Robbie’s heart did a Sportacusian flip in his chest.

“Oh!” Stephanie cried, hands flying to her face in sudden delight. “Is that your present for Sportacus?”

The man looked down at the fruit arrangement still in his grasp. “Oh, uh…yes.”

“He’s going to _love_ it!” the young lady cheered, clapping her hands in delight. The delicate bracers around her wrists clinked together, making a sound that reminded Robbie of small Christmas bells. “It’s perfect!”

Perfect. While he knew he _had_ made an excellent selection, Robbie doubted that it was anywhere near perfect. He shifted his weight uncomfortably as a series of quick thoughts flickered through his mind. He hated to admit defeat and ask for help, but he _was_ a little on the desperate side and Stephanie had spent most of the past year or so with Sportacus in some way, not even counting all of her childhood adventures with the town hero. Besides himself, the pink-haired girl probably knew Sportacus most intimately out of everyone in town…aside from the hero-worshiping sticky boy. It was worth a shot.

“Yes, well…I _had_ hoped to get a little more.” Robbie’s face twisted slightly, as though forcing the words from his lips were causing him actual pain. “Uh…kid. You…probably know my kangaroo better than anyone—besides me, of course!—you have, er…any ideas on what else I could get him? Something _better_ , maybe?”

He felt his shoulders go limp when the woman laughed.

“Robbie, you know him better than anyone! I mean…his favorite things are pretty easy—” She started counting on her fingers as she thought. “—He likes exercise, and sportscandy, and games, and the outdoors, and—”

“ _Yes_ , I know all that, but he has something miraculous planned and I have…I have…” Robbie thrust the flowery fruits toward the young woman. “… _This!_ ”

Stephanie tucked a stray lock of her long pink hair behind her ear. “Robbie,” She said in a quiet, yet surprisingly authoritative tone that suddenly gave the man flashbacks to many a teacher throughout his life. “Sportacus likes a lot of things, but he _loves_ you. So long as you give him something that shows him you care, he’ll be happy.”

Robbie groaned. “That’s exactly the problem,” he wailed in frustration before collapsing onto a nearby bench. “He’ll love _anything_ I put in front of him! How can I give him something _special_ if he’ll like anything?” He sighed. “Sportacus always gets me the best gifts and all I have to offer is fruit.”

“Oh Robbie.” Stephanie took a seat next to her childhood playmate and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a gentle hug while he just stared down at the arrangement in his hands. “You and Sportacus have been married for years. You _love_ each other. Love isn’t supposed to be a competition, Robbie.” She gestured toward the present he held. “He’s going to love that and he already loves you. Isn’t that enough?”

The former villain was silent for a minute as the hero-in-training’s words sunk in. He kept his eyes fixated on his sportscandy bundle for something to focus on while Stephanie rubbed his arm reassuringly. When had the girl become so grown up? She seemed to have more sense than he did himself.

“Thanks, Pinky. I mean, uh…thanks, Stephanie,” he said quietly.

She leaned over and gave the man a quick peck on the cheek. “Don’t worry so much, okay, Robbie?” With a glance back at the town clock tower, Stephanie soon added “You should probably head home soon, anyway. You know how antsy Sportacus gets when he’s excited.”

Robbie smiled affectionately and couldn’t help but snort at the flutter of memories that flashed in his mind. “Yeah,” he agreed.

Their conversation was deemed finished by Stephanie’s crystal, which began to utter a quiet squeal of urgency at her side.

“Oh, someone’s in trouble!” she cried as she looked down at the flashing charm. “I’ll see you around, Robbie!” Stephanie chimed as she jumped back to her feet. She gave the man a wave and sprinted away.

Robbie caught sight of her spinning into a cartwheel as she rounded the corner and disappeared behind a building. The man could only roll his eyes.

“That elf is a terrible influence on her,” he decided with a smile.

After a moment of precious silence, Robbie forced himself up from the park bench only to stand and watch the neighborhood children play their little game across the way for a minute. They had seemed rather happy to see Stephanie; he could only imagine how ecstatic—and loud—they were going to be once they realized that _both_ of their heroic playmates were back in town. Back for the moment, anyway.

Robbie tightened his grip on his bouquet of edible faux-flowers. Sportacus’ letters had said that he and Stephanie had only been able to get a week-long  reprieve from their training, which both of them knew was nowhere near enough. Truthfully, Robbie was thankful to even have that short amount of time—no doubt granted solely because of their wedding anniversary—but he hated to think about just how short their time together was going to be. That was why he so desperately wanted to give Sportacus something fantastic this year…he wanted to leave the man with something special when he left, something lingering. Not a bunch of fruit that probably wouldn’t even last until tomorrow.

He shook his head violently, nearly throwing off his own balance in the process.

“No!” he scolded himself. “I swore I’d stop thinking about that. Have to focus on the time we have together _right here_!”

Robbie froze for a second as a light flickered in his brain. A smile slowly began to creep across his face.

“That’s it!” he cheered to himself. “Or, that might be it. I can do that…can’t I? I’ll have to check. I…” He looked around quickly. “I might still have time. They’d better be open,” he growled excitedly as he hurried off, speeding back the way he had come. “Shouldn’t take too long,” he muttered to himself as he went.


	2. Chapter 2

A short while later, on the outskirts of town, Sportacus was putting some _finishing_ finishing touches on his own anniversary gift. He had completed it nearly twenty minutes ago, but Robbie still wasn’t home and he had need to occupy himself with _something_ other than changing clothes again or doing more pushups before Robbie’s return. So, there he was, adding even more details to the now incredibly overdone design.

“Not knocking when it’s my own house!” was the only warning that the elf got when Robbie finally returned from his excursions for the day.

Sportacus raced to greet his husband, practically sliding into the main room of the lair to find Robbie already standing there. He let out a cry of joy and tackled the tall man, nearly knocking poor Robbie to the floor.

“Down, boy, down!” Robbie joked when the blue brick collided with him.

Robbie wrapped his arms around Sportacus and squeezed him tightly before—as if by ritualistic instinct—pulling off the hero’s blue hat, goggles and all. He buried his face into the hero’s always perfectly soft and wavy hair. He took in a deep breath, letting the familiar sweetness overtake his senses. How he had missed that scent. Sportacus was finally here. He was real again. And they were touching. Really touching. Maybe a little too hard. Definitely a little too hard.

“St-still need to breath!” Robbie wheezed through Sportacus’ affectionate hug.

Sportacus immediately eased his grip, but couldn’t bring himself to let go of the other man just yet.

“Sorry,” he laughed with a mixture of overwhelming joy and mild embarrassment. “Got a little carried away.” He bounced up to his tip-toes and gave Robbie a welcome home kiss. “Happy Anniversary,” he said quietly before the pair engaged into another minute or so of cathartic kisses and hugs.

“Our anniversary technically isn’t until tomorrow, Sportagoose,” Robbie mentioned after a time.

“I would not mind an extended celebration,” Sportacus cooed, his cheek resting contently on his husband’s chest and his eyes happily closed while Robbie’s fingers gently brushed through his hair again and again. “…I missed you.”

Robbie pulled him close. “I missed you, too,” he whispered.

“It’s nice to be home.”

Robbie would have been happy to stand there with Sportacus for the rest of the night except for one thing. He had spent half the day on his feet wandering the town and, darnit, he was not used to that level of exertion. His heart was willing, but his feet were aching.

“If you don’t mind,” Robbie said at last, “I think I should give you your present tonight. Before it turns into a pile of mush.”

“Um, alright,” Sportacus replied after a moment, looking up at Robbie with a confused, mildly concerned expression as the taller man took a step back from him.

“Eyes,” Robbie instructed. “Close ‘em.”

The elf smiled and did as he was told. Robbie walked back toward where he had quickly stashed his gift before Sportacus’ initial burst into the room. He set down his husband’s hat and goggles and swapped them for the fruit waiting there. He sighed and made his way back to the patiently waiting hero.

“Hands.”

Sportacus held out his hands. He felt them carefully guided to an object to hold. Something…cylindrical? No, not quite. He frowned as he tried to figure out what it was he was holding. And why did he suddenly feel mildly hungry?

“Alright,” Robbie relented. “Happy anniversary, Sportacus.”

Lazy Town’s hero opened his eyes. There was a fleeting moment of incomprehension before he realized what it was that he was actually seeing. A wide happy smile broke out on his face and Robbie leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.

“Robbie, this is beautiful!” Sportacus exclaimed. “It’s wonderful! It’s so pretty I almost don’t want to eat it!”

The taller man rolled his eyes, but made no effort to hide the amused smile he wore. “Just don’t choke on the sticks,” he teased as he wrapped his arms around Sportacus’ waist  from behind and delivered a few more kisses to his husband’s cheek and neck.

The elf tried and failed to hold in a giggle as Robbie’s pompadour tickled his cheek when Robbie’s kisses moved down to reach the miniscule amount of shoulder that he could reach. He wriggled slightly in feign protest but Robbie held tight.

“Robbie,” he whined playfully, “I can’t reach you from here!”

The taller of the men shrugged. “I don’t seem to be having any problems,” he dismissed.

He did, however, relinquish Sportacus’ neck at last. He moved his lips upward to kiss the elf’s delicately pointed ears instead. Sportacus involuntarily shivered at the touch, something Robbie had yet to grow tired of causing. The once-villain nibbled gently, nuzzling even closer to the hero when the elf whined pathetically from the stimulation. Robbie pressed a full, proper kiss on his husband’s ear before guiding his body around so they could face each other once again. He let his lips touch the tip of Sportacus’ nose while he let the man’s brain reconnect to his glazed-over eyes.

“I love it, Robbie,” Sportacus breathed after a moment. “Thank you.”

“Are you still talking about the sportscandy?” Robbie asked with a grin, nodding down at his gift between them.

The elf’s cheeks turned a bright red and his neck seemed to disappear into his shoulders for a little while. “Both,” came a tiny mumble. Sportacus looked down. “I _do_ love it, Robbie. It’s wonderful. Truth be told, I don’t think my gift to you quite measures up to yours.”

Robbie made a face and raised an eyebrow. “Sportacus? The king of romantic gift-giving? Why don’t I believe you?”

Sportacus shrugged and did his best to maintain his smile, but Robbie immediately noticed that it no longer seemed to reach his eyes. How was he supposed to process that? It couldn’t be _that_ bad. Sportacus always gave wonderful presents.

“I am very sorry, Robbie. Stephanie and I have just been so busy with her training and there wasn’t as much time left for planning as I would have liked, and—”

“Sportacus,” Robbie interrupted, trying to imitate the firm tone Stephanie had used on him only an hour or so before, “I don’t care what you got me. I don’t care _if_ you got anything. Being able to see you home is all I need right now.” He planted a kiss on the shorter man’s forehead. “I’ve missed you.”

Sportacus’ cheeks somehow grew even redder than they already were. “I know,” he relented, “I just…wish that I could do more. You deserve more.”

No, this wasn’t right. Sportacus was always thoughtful, giving, perfect. He shouldn’t feel like he wasn’t measuring up to some impossible standard, Robbie decided. He was always wonderful just the way he was, and it showed in everything he did and gave and…oh. Robbie suddenly felt a bit foolish about the tantrum had had been throwing all morning. It seemed that both of them had gotten swept away in their individualized competitions somewhere along the way. Maybe his little edible bouquet wasn’t such a bad idea after all. What’s more, he would just have to try and convince Sportacus that the elf had already given him the best anniversary gift possible by coming home.

“Well,” Robbie said with a mischievously-looking grin on his face as he ran his fingertips along the length of the elf’s previously neglected ear, “If you want to give me _more_ , I can always take these little sportsflowers and feed you a little snack. You know how I like sweet desserts and—”

“ _Robbie!_ ” Sportacus cried, his face completely burning now when he realized where Robbie was going.

“What?” Robbie demanded, his hands now on his hips. “Your little charges aren’t anywhere in earshot and it’s not like we never—”

“I think maybe it’s time I give you _your_ present,” Sportacus interrupted sheepishly, looking like he was somehow trying to hide behind his bouquet of sportscandy. “Th-this time _you_ close your eyes.”

Robbie gave a rather harsh sigh, but did as he was told. He folded his arms over his chest with a huff and grumble of “We’ll continue this conversation _later_.”

 Sportacus absently touched one of his ears, shivering slightly as his mind momentarily wandered. He shook his head and carefully inspected Robbie’s face. “No peeking,” he warned.

Robbie’s jaw dropped in faux offense. “Me? _Peek_?” he asked. “How could I ever so much as consider pe— _AHH!_   he cried, his words abruptly cut off when something was shoved down over his head to blind him.

“There,” his husband’s triumphant voice announced. “No peeking.”

Robbie’s arms dangled at his sides like limp spaghetti as he hunched over in mild defeat. “Your hat is on my head, isn’t it?” he asked flatly.

He heard a familiar giggle and a proud “Yes, it is!” in response. All he could do was sigh. Robbie decided that he should have actually _hidden_ Sportacus’ hat instead of just setting it aside. He would have to remember that for next time.

Sportacus picked up his delicious-looking anniversary present before gently taking Robbie’s hand. He lead the taller man toward the kitchen, going slowly to ensure Robbie wouldn’t find something to trip over along the way. Though smiling, the hero was still a little nervous. He always liked to put his all into every present he gave for such important occasions, and he felt like this time he had simply fallen short. Despite Robbie’s kind words, a part of him remained a nervous young man with an awkward crush that feared the man of his desires would be disappointed in what he had to offer. All he could do at this point was hope that Robbie would like it.

“Alright,” the elf said quietly after positioning Robbie in front of the table. “You can open your eyes now.”

For a second, neither of the men moved. Then, Robbie gave an overly dramatic, fluttery sigh. “ _Oh, Sportacus!_ ” he cried in a lovey-dovey voice, “You got me a hat! You shouldn’t have!”

“Robbie!” the man’s husband teased as he playfully swatted at the former villain’s arm.

“Alright, alright,” Robbie chuckled as he pulled the edge of the hat up so he could see once again.

The town’s hero shifted from one foot from another after stepping back to give the other man some space to receive his gift. Robbie’s silence didn’t help Sportacus’ nerves very much as the man beheld the large cake waiting before him.

Robbie took a step forward to examine the confection more closely. It was absolutely beautiful. Clearly not a professional cake by any means, but beautiful nonetheless. It was three-tiered with lavender frosting and intricate patterns all around the edges. It looked like once upon a time there had been a simple design there, but it had been continually added to until the original shapes was buried under layers of additional sugary goodness. That was fine by Robbie. It was the top of the creation, though, that made the man’s heart lodge itself in his throat for a precious moment. Atop the cake were a pair of smiling faces. Although Sportacus was no artist by any stretch of the imagination, the likenesses to the couple were undeniable. And Robbie absolutely loved it. Around the crude but adorable portraits were—off-centered and meandering—the words _Happy Anniversary Robbie_ and _I love you more than sportscandy_.

Robbie looked back at his nervous husband and smiled.

“I’m sorry it’s not very good,” Sportacus said with a sheepish shrug. “It was a lot harder than I thought it would be to do all of the—”

“I love it, Sportakook,” Robbie interrupted. He grabbed the other man’s hand and pulled Sportacus to his side so he could kiss his forehead. “It’s perfect.”

“You really like it?” Sportacus asked through his residual worries, though his smile seemed suddenly brighter than it had mere moments ago. “I…I know you deserve more but…”

“Oh, shut up. You’re starting to sound like me, and there’s only room enough in this relationship for one drama queen,” Robbie scolded, flicking one prong of Sportacus’ mustache.

“Hey!”

His mustache was flicked again. Sportacus pouted.

“So…dessert time?” Robbie suggested after he had his fun making his love scowl at him like a kitten trying to look far more ferocious than it was. “Seems we have a bit of a theme going this year and there’s _no_ way I’m letting a cake this good go to waste.”

“But we haven’t even had dinner yet,” Sportacus protested. “Dessert comes after a healthy—”

“Nope! Special occasion. Elf rules don’t apply!” Robbie called, already halfway to retrieving a dish for himself.

Sportacus set his fruit flowers on the table and crossed his arms to for a proper pouting protest. He watched as his beautiful husband moved about their kitchen and found it incredibly hard to keep up his unhappy-pouty act. It was just too difficult when watching Robbie could only make Sportacus smile. Robbie seemed to have forgotten all about the blue hat still on his head, clearly too preoccupied with the promise of anniversary cake to be bothered with taking it off. Sportacus was relieved that he liked the cake.

“Hey, Sportaface! You need anything or are you just going to be a barbarian as always?”

The elf laughed. “I _am_ a muscle-bound brute, what can I say?” he joked.

“Just the worst,” Robbie agreed as he returned carrying his plate, fork, and favorite cake knife. “Always strong-arming those innocent brats into exercising and being loud at all hours of the day.”

Sportacus snorted in sheer amusement. “Terrible. That sounds so bad that maybe _I_ should be called the villain of Lazy Town.”

Robbie gave a hearty laugh at hearing that and wrapped an arm around his elf. “Oh, I’ve missed you,” he said between kisses.

“I have missed you every day,” Sportacus replied softly. “I’m not letting you out of my sight for the next six days.”

“I think I can live with that.”

“I wish I could have gotten more than a week,” the hero mumbled with a slight sigh as he nuzzled into his man’s side. “It’s not enough time together.”

Robbie nodded in quiet agreement before deciding the conversation was getting too depressing. Reluctantly, he pulled away from the embrace. “Well then, we’d better not waste any more of it standing around with my cake not getting eaten. Because _that_ is the worst part of this conversation topic,” he said with the finality of a dictator.

Carefully, slowly, Robbie sliced into the delicious-looking cake like a veteran surgeon performing his craft. He centered the slice on his plate with such pinpoint precision that Sportacus couldn’t help but be mildly impressed. When it came to presentation, he had yet to meet Robbie’s equal. The self-proclaimed villain licked his lips in anticipation as he looked down at the tiny smiling Sportacus staring back up at him from his plate.

“If this tastes half as amazing as it smells I’ll marry you all over again.”

“Does that include a second honeymoon?” Sportacus asked with a not-so-subtle wink.

Robbie shot him a look. “Literally a minute ago you were acting like there were virgin ears to ruin!”

Sportacus gave his love an innocent shrug. Robbie rolled his eyes and started to briskly walk away from the man. The elf blinked when he realized that his husband was suddenly leaving him behind. Sportacus grabbed his sportscandy bouquet and hurried after Robbie. His shoulders fell when he realized where the man was going.

“Robbie, _no!_ ” he whined. “You’ll get crumbs all over the bed!”

“If I’m going to eat my amazing anniversary cake I’m going to do it in absolute comfort where there’s plenty of space for my overly flippy husband to join me and tell me how pretty I am while I stuff my face. Now get your overly-toned behind over here.”

The cake connoisseur kicked off his shoes and hopped onto the bed, greedily eyeing the slice in his hands. He used one arm to fluff the pillows behind him before leaning back comfortably and then patted the empty space next to him. Sportacus gave in and, careful not to jostle his precious sportscandy, crawled into bed beside his partner. Robbie inched toward the center of the bed, as did Sportacus, until their bodies met in the middle. There had been enough space between the pair for long enough. Each of them leaned into the other before enjoying their gift.

For a few minutes the only sounds in the lair-turned-home were those of quietly smacking lips, the occasional clinking of a fork on a plate, and hums of delectable contentment. Robbie was enjoying his cake like it was the last dessert on the planet. Meanwhile, Sportacus was carefully picking apart each facet of his bouquet individually before eating so he could savor each fruit’s unique flavor on its own. Both men were enthralled with how perfectly-chosen his husband’s present had been.

“I don’t know,” Robbie finally said around the wonderfully moist cake on his tongue, “how you can bake things so perfectly when you can’t even taste-test anything that does into them. And from scratch!” He shook his head. “This is amazing.”

Sportacus laughed as he plucked a grape from the center of an imitation flower. “It’s only the sugar I cannot have, Robbie.”

“Exactly! That’s the part that makes it a cake!” came the immediate retort. “I don’t know how you do it!”

“Well, I’m very glad you like it, Robbie.” Sportacus set the remainder of his fruity flowers on the bedside table.

“I do! Besides, even if you weren’t an amazing closet baker, it’s not every day the renowned Sportacus of Lazy Town encourages unhealthy eating of chocolate cake. That enough is a treat,” he teased.

“A little cake is fine once in a while,” Sportacus counted, trying to act offended but unable to hide his smile.

“A _little_ ,” Robbie huffed. “Are you kidding? This is me with some self-control. The rest of that cake’s gonna be gone by tomorrow morning.”

Sportacus shook his head, throwing in a small eye-roll for good measure, and nuzzled into Robbie’s shoulder until the man was done eating. Robbie set the plate aside on his own nightstand and held his arms out as much as he could with Sportacus practically clinging to him.

“See?” he said proudly, “No crumbs. I’m a master.”

“I love you, Robbie.”

The ex-villain smiled and kissed the top of the elf’s golden head as he wrapped his arms around his adorable husband and pulled him somehow closer. “I love you, too, Sportacuddle.” He sighed and rested his cheek in Sportacus’ soft hair. “It’s been a long few months without you here.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” came Sportacus’ small voice. “I miss you every day. I’ve missed…this.”

Robbie held his love close. The two were quiet for a moment as they reflected upon their preciously short time together before they would each be alone again. Was Sportacus...shaking? Robbie wet his lips before suddenly sitting up a bit straighter. He cleared his throat.

“Um…well,” he said softly to break the silence, “I guess I should come clean. I got you something extra for our anniversary this year. I was debating if I should wait until tomorrow, but…why bother?”

The hero pulled back slightly and watched his husband curiously, watching as Robbie moved enough so he could pull something from his pocket. Sportacus wasn’t sure what to expect, but seeing what looked like a business envelope certainly hadn’t been it. Robbie offered it to him. The elf stared at the offering for a minute before sitting fully upright and taking it up like the delicate mystery that it was. He carefully opened the flap to peer inside, blinking when he recognized the content as familiar currency. He looked back up to Robbie for an answer.

“I…krónur? Robbie, I…you don’t need to…”

“It’s not for you; it’s for me.”

Now Sportacus was hopelessly confused. “I do not understand. You are giving me your money to give back to you?” That didn’t make any sense.

“Sportacus, that doesn’t make any sense.”

The hero stared, blinked, stared. “I know.” He looked back down at the money again for a second. “I think I need some sort of explanation, Robbie.”

“Well, I’ve been trying to…” _distract myself from the soul-crushing loneliness_ “…keep myself busy while you were away. A few gadgets, inventions, commissions for dresses and whatnot.” Robbie swallowed, somehow feeling a bit nervous. “I just did it for something to do and I, uh, hadn’t really realized how much income I was getting ‘till I took a look at it today,” he admitted.

“Well, that’s wonderful, Robbie. But, um, I still don’t really understand—”

“I’m not finished.”

“Oh, sorry!” Sportacus shut his mouth immediately and stared at Robbie once again with his large, curious, adorable eyes.

Robbie stole a quick forehead kiss before continuing, unable to resist the man’s endearing expression. “I wanted to get you something a little more lasting than _fruit_ and I figured, if I can keep up my current pace and work out some of the kinks of going mobile, then I have more than enough money at my disposal for a little vacation. Like, say, a few months at least…” He swallowed as he watched Sportacus’ hopeful eyes begin to shimmer. “To, uh, maybe somewhere up north where there might be, I dunno, some health-crazed, overly flippy elf might be trying to train their— _GUH!_ ”

Robbie was instantly silenced by Sportacus hugging the man tightly around his middle and burying his face into Robbie’s soft stomach. Robbie gently petted his partner’s silken hair as the elf tried his best—and failed—to compose himself. He simply couldn’t hide his whimpers of joyful relief and happily trembling shoulders. When Sportacus did finally look up at his husband his eyes were puffy and his upper lip was speckled with red. The hero sniffled a bit loudly as he began to curl around his partner’s body as best as he could. Robbie was shocked at his love’s reaction and found himself unsure how to calm the elf down. He awkwardly patted Sportacus on the back before rubbing his hand in slow, gentle circles while the hero let himself cry.

“Sportacus?” Robbie asked worriedly.

“Th-this is the b-best gift anyone has ever given me, Robbie,” Sportacus whined through the tears. “You are the best gift I could ever ask for.”

Robbie gave a weepy chuckle as a sorely-missed warmth quickly spread through his chest. “Happy anniversary, Sportscutie,” he said as he wrapped his arms around the hero and showered him with further kisses.

He got the feeling that a good portion of the next few days would be dedicated to packing his life into as small a space as possible. It was going to be a lot of hard work, but Robbie found that he didn’t mind that all too much this time. It would be more than worth the effort.

“I think I win gift-giving this year,” Robbie whispered into Sportacus’ ear after both their crying had calmed down a bit.

The elf snorted and pressed his face into Robbie’s chest, making it all the easier for Robbie to feel Sportacus nod in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw man, I didn't expect this to get so much attention, especially so fast! XD You guys are wonderful. Thank you so much for your sweet comments!
> 
> I only have a couple of other scenes for this AU in my head, but y'all're giving me the motivation to actually visit them when I can lol!


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